{
  "id": 16977936,
  "title": "Alexander Payne Hit With Copyright Suit Over ‘The Holdovers’ Script",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/alexander-payne-hit-with-copyright-suit-over-the-holdovers-script",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-28T23:16:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Variety",
    "slug": "variety",
    "url": "https://variety.com/2026/film/news/alexander-payne-holdovers-suit-1236933696/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A screenwriter sued Alexander Payne on Wednesday, alleging that the script for “The Holdovers” was based on his unproduced screenplay set at a children’s hospital. The screenwriter, Simon Stephenson, took his allegations to the Writers Guild of America in 2024, but was advised that the union could not adjudicate the issue and was referred to […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Alexander Payne Sued by ‘Luca’ Screenwriter Over Plagiarism on ‘The Holdovers’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/alexander-payne-sued-by-luca-screenwriter-over-plagiarism-on-the",
        "published": "2026-10-28T21:55:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Alexander Payne Sued for ‘The Holdovers’ Copyright Infringement by ‘Luca’ Screenwriter",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/alexander-payne-sued-for-the-holdovers-copyright-infringement-by-luca",
        "published": "2026-10-28T23:22:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}